I am so thrilled to be sitting in Monte Poni in Chianti (aka... "The Hill") as the tent is being brought in and the ceremony site being decorated ... there is hustle and bustle everywhere.  Amana & Johan's wedding is tomorrow!! ... last night was aperetivo (happy hour Italian style) on piazza Santa Croce in Firenze.  Tonight... rehearsal dinner in Fiesole (a beautiful little town overlooking Firenze)... tomorrow.. the big day.. then Sunday a poolside brunch in the Tuscan countryside!

Here are just a few photographs from today.  First an amazing tradional Italian lunch with fried zucchini flowers, potatoes,  steak, fritata, caprese, and salad (yes,,, that was just lunch).  Then in order to walk off lunch a hike up to Panzano... to by my favorite salt (yes salt)  from the amazing Dario (the butcher... known all throughout Italia).  He hand presses his salt with herbs from his garden:  lavender, sage, rosemary... you name it!!

Stay tuned... I have a feeling these pics from the wedding are gonna be pretty darn amazing...  even the tent is beautiful and it isn't even finished yet.

Well... off to eat (and photograph) a 7 course italian meal...  that will  have representation by 14 countries... 4 continents... and who knows how many languages...  It's gonna be an interesting weekend...

Love
A

A few weeks ago I headed off the island and into the wilderness of the UP (Upper Peninsula for those non-Michiganders).  Erica & Nick found me on the Mackinac Island website but asked if I would be willing to travel to the Miners Beach/Pictured Rocks area for their wedding.  Well.. OF COURSE... I'm always up for experiencing something new.

I was shocked by how beautiful this beach was... perfect white sand, turquoise waters, and enchanted woods to get there.  I'm so glad I got to visit this beautiful place.

Its been super fun getting to know these two. They (and their entire wedding party) were a BLAST... they definitely know how to have a good time and made me feel 100% part of the party.  I was a little bummed I had to leave and head back to the island.  Erica and Nick had so many funny stories.  They are high school sweethearts... who then went on to college together and gathered their amazing group of friends along the way. 

... speaking of fun.. I can't even put into words how fun and hysterical the hour long shuttle to and from the beach was... singing, dancing, laughing... all around!!

Erica & Nick, thank you so much for letting me document your beautiful day and experience your up north life.. and of course introducing me to Miners beach!!  WOW...  You two seem to know each other inside and out.. your comfort with each other is obvious.. you can make goofy faces one minute and have a private moment the next... I just know this variety will lead to many years of laughter and exciting bus rides!!!

Love
A

(geez I hope my Italian is right)...  "bo?!?"

Okay ... where to begin..  I really can't put into words what a life experience this wedding was. First (before the mushy stuff) the back-story... how the heck did I end up shooting an Italian Wedding in Ibiza Spain...

Well, the bride, Nadia, and I met over 12 years ago while I was studying art in Firenze.  We instantly became friends (especially since I loved her nose ring and HAD to have one... so we were forever bonded when at the age of 20 she took me to a 75 yr old pharmacist to have my nose pierced.. she even drew the dot on my nose where the future hole would go)... so... fast forward 10 years... I'm back in Firenze ... and we re-connect over a coffee... then last year when I was back in Italy she tells me... "I'm not engaged.... YET... but when I am ... be ready to be there"... so less then a year later... there I was...

...40 Italians over taking a small Spanish Island.. with an Italian Couple... a Spanish Priest and an American photographer...  "madonna".  It was AMAZING... the longer I was with my new Italian friends the more I realized how universal weddings are...  language really doesn't matter. What is going on between two people who love each other... and their family and friends that are their to celebrate them... is the same... whether its Italian, Spanish, or English.  Granted...  listening to these wedding speeches in Italian was MUCH MORE entertaining  than any other wedding I've ever been too.. and I don't even know what they were saying... all I know is hands were flying... laughter was echoing... and it was like watching a tv show unfold... I was just waiting for the food fight to begin (but the cake was really way to good to be wasted on a fight... so instead "mange mange")

I honestly felt so honored to have been a part of this small intimate weekend.    The minute I saw Nadia and how beautiful she was in her dress moments before walking down the aisle...I couldn't help but tear up...  it was definitely a weekend of touching moments and TONS of laughter... geez those Italians know how to laugh smile and have fun (no wonder I love them so much)!!

The four very fast days I had in Ibiza will forever stay with me...thinking about how our lives take shape... how friendships can  last longer than one would ever think across oceans, language, and cultures ... and how the world really is a small community when we focus on our similarities...

THANK YOU ... Nadia and Filippo for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your amazing weekend. Even from this "American girls" perspective its clear to see the joy between the two of you... how much fun you have together... and the clear love!!  To see how all your family and friends are caring, funny, and incredibly loving is a clear sign of the two of you!!! I am so excited to have a new group of "amici de Florentina"... am I making up Italian again? (u get the idea)...

Baci
A

 

My first slide show of 2010 ... remember that beautiful and sweet wedding last month in Kona... take a look.

One quick shout out to Kathleen Akaka... she was their AMAZING wedding coordinator. so wonderful to work with.  If you or anyone you know is getting married in Kona.. this is the woman you want coordinating your beautiful event... Divine Goods Hawaii

Rachel & Elie...  doing this slide show took me right back to Hawaii... thank you again for asking me to be a part of your intimate and touching wedding.  Enjoy!

Love,
A

Click HERE for the slide show...

WHAT I LEARNED ON THE WAY TO PARIS...

I left for Paris on Sunday.. on my way I learned three things...  I know this may be random...  but it's what I learned...

1)...  Wearing all white to a wedding doesn't have to be a faux pas...  I sat next to a lovely lady from Amsterdam who was recently married.. (I only wish I would have grabbed a couple of her pics)... she had the most beautiful Ibiza wedding.  She asked all of her 50 guests to wear all white... and it gave the whole event not only an incredibly beautiful aesthetic but also such a sense of softness, love, and tenderness...  it is hard to explain ... but if you are looking to do something different... think about it.   I was especially interested in seeing her pictures because I will be flying back across the Atlantic in May to photograph my own Ibiza wedding...

2)...   Pictures truly are memory keepers.. obviously I believe this and knew this... but it wasn't until I experience it first hand (yet again) that I remember how amazing the feeling can be.  I was in a taxi heading to my hotel in Paris when we drove through a plaza... I instantly remembered it... not only did I remember it.. I remembered the EXACT photo I had taken of this plaza 12 years ago... and not only did I remember the photo... but I remembered what I thinking, what I was doing.. and where I was in life (ironically enough photography was the farthest thing from  a career  for me... funny what 12 years can do)... I wish I had the photograph to show you.

3)...  Rescue Remedy Sleep, Calms Forte, A Glass of Wine, and Airborne Sleep .DOES NOT equal sleeping on the plane

So, that was my trip there... day 1... 4 of us girls converge upon Paris from four different flights all leaving LAX and Arriving Charles De Galle... don't ask why we didn;t fly together... we haven't quite figured that out yet.

After trying to sleep off the jetlag.. it was off to Muse D'Orsay...  (to see my favortie Toulous Latrec)...  and dinner with a French friend... 

Day 2.. TODAY...  we awoke had a lovely lunch ... checked out Pere Lachaise.. where I saw Oscar Wilde's tomb... this cemetary was amazing and Oscar is ALWAYS inspiring. And then... I was soo happy to meet up with my dear dear dear Parisian friend Diana...  (you look amazing... and always make my day... so happy to have had the time with you my sweet).

AND TONIGHT... the BIG EVENT... watching the Sparkling Eiffel Tower at exactly midnight as my amazing, inspiring and beautiful friend Britainy turned 30.. (I truly feel honored to be a part of your celebration and to be a part of your life)

SO...  One more day in Paris... till its off to London... tomorrow's agenda  a portrait shoot of an opera singer at the Bastille Opera house... then off to the George V to cheers Brits official birthday.

Here are a few pics... enjoy...  drop me a note...

May you all have adventures and find a few friends along the way... it sure does make the world small.

Love,
A

Oh and along the way... TONS of croissants, pain au chocolates, and cappuccinos!!